Putting Up The Christmas Ficus
Psych
G
Carlton Lassiter/Shawn Spencer
Day 5 of the 25 Days of Shassie
Prompt: Christmas Tree
~600 words
Shawn wants to decorate the Christmas tree, but it's not going according to plan.
Carlton wakes up the day after Thanksgiving, his stomach still full and body pleasantly worn out from the after-dinner festivities. He sighs and nestles contentedly in Shawn's bed. He's not even concerned that Shawn's somehow flown the coop - they had a fantastic dinner with Henry the previous night after spending most of the day with the Gusters. Shawn should be as content and lazy as he is, but the TV is in the other room, and Shawn sometimes wakes up, can't go to sleep, and relocates.
Carlton can't resist following after him, but what he finds I decidedly not what he'd been expected. Shawn is looking frazzled, his hair sticking up in angles that would be impossible if not for the copious amounts of hair product that's practically fused with Shawn's hair. He darts this way and that around the room, not even aware - or not showing it at least - that Carlton's awake and watching.
Shawn's got a box that must have once been full of decorations, but instead, those are on one of the fake plants that Shawn keeps to keep Gus happy. Something about how they increase oxygen, increase happiness and inner peace, but both Carlton and Shawn have a tendency to zone out when Gus starts in on that sort of thing, so it's no wonder that they've both elected to ignore the benefits and just go for convenience.
The point is, Shawn has apparently been up and frantically decorating a fake ficus, and is now staring at it with pursed lips and glaring as if it's done something to purposefully harm him.
Carlton steps into the living room, walking closer to him, but Shawn doesn't acknowledge him. Carlton tentatively wraps his arms around Shawn, pulling Shawn back against him without any resistance. "It doesn't look right," Shawn says, and Carlton can tell from the tone of his voice that he didn't sleep much the previous night.
"What's it supposed to look like?" Carlton rests his head against Shawn's, trying to see what he sees. Carlton can confess that it looks like a badly thrown-together mess, but that's usually not a problem for Shawn.
"A Christmas tree." Shawn whines slightly, "I wanted to get it up before you woke up."
"It's a tree. It's decorated for Christmas. I think it qualifies."
"It looks all wrong," Shawn sulks, glaring at it again. Carlton doesn't miss the way Shawn leans into him, his energy calming slightly with Carlton near. Carlton kisses his temple and looks at the poor ficus again, trying to discern what's bothering Shawn as if the ficus is going to reveal all of Shawn's inner turmoil.
Instead, he sees something blindingly obvious, and he chuckles in Shawn's ear, "Idiot."
"Hey," Shawn protests without any heat.
Carlton nudges Shawn's head with his own, making them both look at the tree, "There's no star at the top."
Carlton can practically hear the gears turning in Shawn's head as whatever has actually got him in a mood aligns itself with the missing tree topper. Shawn turns to look at him, eyes alight and grin beaming before he presses a quick kiss to Carlton's lips. "Lassie, you're a genius."
He takes off again, energy moving forward and his troubled thoughts abandoned with the idea of putting a star atop the Christmas ficus. Carlton finds himself looking at it and smiling. Unconventional, yes, but most things with Shawn were. And that, he had decided a long time ago, was what made them so very special.